SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Ask the Vet, June Edition

Do you know if you’re working your horse too hard in the heat? How’s your eye for conformation? These questions and more are answered in this month’s Ask the Vet by SmartPak.

As horse owners, we want to make sure we are making the best decisions for our horses. One way to do that is by staying informed. Fortunately, SmartPak is dedicated to offering free education to horse owners, helping them to make informed decisions about their animals.

SmartPak’s staff veterinarian and medical director, Dr. Lydia Gray, and SmartPaker Dan answer fan-submitted horse health questions in the monthly episode.

Questions answered in this video:

1. My Dutch WB is 17.3 and 1500 pounds. We live in Central Florida where the summers can be brutally hot and humid. He is 18 years old and has been in work most of his life as a jumper for years and now dressage. He has always sounded a bit heavy breathed after working for about 30 minutes but seems to recover afterward. My trainer says that’s just him and he’s fine. I’m often scheduled for training later in the morning or even afternoons and have passed on the lesson for fear it will be hard on him. But I feel like everyone thinks I’m babying him too much. How much should I push him in the heat? With summer just around the corner I’m already stressed.

2. If you have a beginner’s eye and need to look at conformation, what’s the first thing a vet will look at for soundness?

3. I was wondering what your opinion is on body clipping a horse in March/April? I have a 13hh pony that grows a fairly thick coat and it’s just too much work for me to wait till he sheds it all, plus it increases drying time after exercising. Love the videos, keep it up!!

4. What are the symptoms of copper deficiency? Are rose colored spots on skin not covered by hair (on the inner rear legs near the abdomen) one of them? What is the best way to correct that deficiency?

5. Cellulitis… and how to bring more circulation to the legs.

What was the most interesting thing you learned in this video? Let us know in the comments section!

Have your own horse health questions to submit for next month? Tag your question on social media with #AskTheVetVideo. Bonus: if your question is selected for a future video, you’ll win a SmartPak gift card!